The Minnesota Vikings put together a dominant defensive performance in a 23-10 victory over the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day at U.S. Bank Stadium. From the opening series on, the Vikings dictated the game defensively, smothering Detroit’s offense and effectively ending the Lions’ playoff hopes.
Minnesota’s defense created constant chaos, forcing six turnovers with two interceptions and four fumble recoveries. Jared Goff was sacked five times, and the Lions struggled to move the ball, averaging just 3.6 yards per snap. The win marked a fourth straight for the Vikings, who are building momentum as the 2025 NFL season winds down.
During the Vikings’ four-game win streak, defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his unit have been at the forefront, allowing only one team to score more than 20 points. As a result, Minnesota are doing all it can to retain him on its coaching staff.
On December 27, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio reported, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, that the Vikings are currently working toward extending Flores’ deal. He is currently in his third season as the team’s defensive coordinator and is in the final year of his contract.
The Vikings wanted to finalize it before the 2025 regular season, but Flores opted to wait. That decision ended up working in Flores’ favor.
Without a new deal, Flores would have been free to join another staff. Nonetheless, even with an extension in place, Florio’s reporting adds that Flores would still be able to pursue a head-coaching job elsewhere.
Vikings’ Brian Flores Gets Backing for Head Coaching Job
Coming off a fantastic performance against the Lions, NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms believes that defensive coordinator Brian Flores should get a shot at another head coaching job.
“Brian Flores just put on an absolute clinic,” Simms wrote on X on December 25. “Completely shut down Goff and [head coach Dan Campbell] and the Lions. Vikes threw for 51 yards and beat Detroit! How is BFlo not a head coach?!”
As the Vikings look to end the 2025 NFL season on a positive note, their defense has been key and will look to continue its standout form as the team eyes a fifth straight win in their final game of the campaign against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18.
Vikings Defense Earns Praise After Win Over Lions
After the win over Detroit, Goff also praised the Vikings’ defense, noting how their precise execution threw Detroit’s offense off balance and kept them from finding any rhythm in that game on December 25.
“They did a good job on defense, had a good plan, and exploited some things on us,” Goff said postgame. “They were able to get after us, adding an extra rusher a lot of times. Whenever that happens, it’s a free rusher. They did a good job with that. We had a plan that we thought would attack that, and it didn’t work well enough.
“… We had some good third-down conversions. They came out in the second half and adjusted pretty well and had some different stuff for us. We didn’t do a good enough job on our side of adjusting to those different things that they were doing.”
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